Mike Crampton has tendered his resignation as the most important man in the squadron, "Mail Man," and now that we have enough real property to keep track of, has taken over duties as "Cost & Real Property Specialist." GOOD LUCK MIKE and a heart felt thanks from each and everyone of us! (Will we ever again get our mail delivered at 11:30 at night sitting in our bunkers?)
That is the interpertation from Latin of "NOS DUCEMOS SEMPER," the motto on our Air Force approved squadron emblem. First Lieutenant I. John Studebaker, the designer of the emblem explains its significance as being symbolic of the squadron and its mission. The American Eagle, our national bird, symbolizes the Uned States and its airpower. The engineers transit and the gear refer to the unit's primary mission. The globe alludes to the world-wide capabilities of the squadron and its first mission with PACAF. The emblem bears the national colors and the Air Force colors - gold and ultramarine blue.
You don't find it often in life, 379 men all talking about the same subject and agreeing right on down the line without an exception. Yes sir, thats the way it was with only one thought in everyones mind, "This is the greatest thing that ever happened to Red Horse." Let's record once and for all that historic occassion. The Place: Phan Rang Air Base, The Date: Sunday 12 June 1966, The Occassion: The GRAND OPENING OF THE RED HORSE DINING HALL1 Even the old soldiers who have grown up saying "Mess Hall," agree that this is a Dining Hall if there ever was one. The smell of charcoal cooking meat filled the air and there was a feeling of Mardi Gras as the squadron stood-down to enjoy a day of excellent food and entertainment. Every man in RED HORSE in some way contributed to the building, but the men that breathed life into it are the men in the starched white hats. Chefs (Sgts) Rodden, Bluford, Bailey, Scott, Padilla and Berry. (Airmen) Taylor, Black, Love, Yoder, Hernandez, Heidebrecht, Havard, Legatt, and Bearer were the men of the hour. Wearing another tall white chefs hat was "Guest Cook" Charlie Henri. They really outdid themselves on the barbequed pork and chicken with all the trimmings, topped off with that unheard of delicacy (in up country Vietnam), ICE CREAM AND STRAWBERRIES! The tables were gleaming, each offering luxuries we haven't seen much of; would you believe steak sauce, ketchup and black pepper? Aerospace Engineers Dressel, Dzencelowz, Eastman, Fowler, Fryman, Grece & Gress ably assisted the festivities as Mess Attendants.
Dinner was followed by a double helping of "Blue Grass" music with Colonel Conti leading a sing-a-long starting with "Wiffenpoof." The guitarists agree it should have been played in "E" flat major (or LtCol) or something like that, but they never did find it and it sounded great anyway guys! "Doc" Chapman, "Sorrel" Dorman, "Mc" McDaniels and "Peewee" Audrey were joined on strummin' by two visiting Gray Eagles, Cochran and Dale Lindeau, who later also worked over a hot mandolin. It surprised some of the audience to find Warren Cann and Walt Engeman sharing honors on drums. Walt then went on and boosted the rhythm section on spoons. This music and sonfeast lasted hours. Come to think of it, it lasted just about as long as the food and refreshments. And speaking of refreshment, paint that one BLUE, not the cans but the arms of those gallant RED HORSEMEN who plunged their arms into that "icy water" 1,920 times! No one worked harder or with more gusto than bartenders J.B.Boore, Hassler, Bullock, Evans, and "Big John" Schulte. Over the loud popping of can tops came the sounds of visitor Dale Lindeau doing his Blue Grass, then our own "Buck" Odom and "Stoney" Wheat. Guy Lombardo may play "The Sweetest Music This Side of Heaven," but what our men played that day will give Guy a run for his money!
KUDOS to the organizers of this swinging affair, our Deputy Commander LTCol Mix, First Sergeant Eskenazi and Training NCO Sergeant Koropsak. Remember those names troopers, talk it up and maybe we can do it again! Soon?
1. "Who Deflated My Inflatables?" by Franko
2. "I didn'tg Now My Dump Was Up" by the Polesnappers
3. "Chinese Tool Box Blues" by Bullock
4. "They'll Never Fly Again" by Foggers
5. "Its Always Fallin' Down" by the Bunkers
6. "Any Mail Today? -- Yet" by the 400 Red Horsemen Chorus
7. "Da Nang Blues" by the Well Drillers
8. "Framish" by the Rock Crushers
<9. "A Hootch On The Side of the Hill" by the Dreamers
10. "I Remember Every Little Detail" by the Duty NCO
Five nights a week, rain or noomshine, one or more of the following RED HORSEMEN donate their own off-duty time for the general entertainment of the squadron. This reporter personally interviewed George Ezell, Fred Bohlken, Don Averett, and "Chico" Guerra and asked their opinion of the "free advice" they get when the film or projector go haywire. Although this paper has a liberal editorial policy and believes in freedom of speech, it has been decided that your ears, and yours alone should hear their unexpurgated answers. Seriously though, they are looking for volunteer projectionists and offer to furnish all the OJT you need. The audience will provide you with advice.
Every night when the fresh pot of coffee is just ready, or the popcorn, or you've just drawn a Royal Flush, ZAP your hootch is full of eye watering smoke. Assistant Fire Marshal Bohlken just stands there and smiles 'cause there is no need of holding fire drills when the Squadron Entomologists, "Sal" Salle, Bill Wells, or Pat Keaton can roust out the members of a hootch quicker than you can say "sorry 'bout that." Would you believe says the head fogger, that some Horses' believe that fogging attracts and feeds bugs? What has happened neighbor, is that the chemically treated fog brings out and kills the bugs that have been hiding in your hootch all along.
now that all the RED HORSES are properly "stabled" in prefabricated "hootches" and already forgotten about the joys we once knew of living in good 'ol general purpose tents, lets pause a moment and doff our fatigue hats to Sergeant "Mike" and his sawmill troops. It took a little getting used to, the whine of that .... sawmill going full blast at midnight when you were trying to sleep, but we all now agree it was worth it. (Editors Note: Although well known to one and all as Sgt "Mike" he is more formally unknown as Master Sergeant Michael Karashopoff.)
From the highest terrace in our squadron living area, you can look out at dusk, the days heat slowly being replaced by cooling ocean breezes and observe 90% of the airbase, and in any direction see the tangible result of RED HORSE labors. Standing here only four short months ago you would have seen a dusty, nondescript hillside, now a symmetrically terraced living complex with long rows of canvas topped framed hootches, each assembled by its occupants. Below us is the squadron pride and joy, the Dining Hall staffed by RED HORSE food service personnel, but that is is a story by itself gone into in detail in another section of this first edition of the Squadron Newsletter. Let your eye travel due east to the 10,000 foot runway and watch Phantom Jets streak off into the night to make strikes against the Viet Cong; over 1,000 sorties already flown. On the far side of the runway are the Fighter Wings' Headquarters and OPS Buildings and a flight line dining hall, all built from scratch by the men of this squadron, including revetments. Looking north its difficult to trace the curving perimeter road that has been grubbed and scraped out of the bush, but 4.7 miles of it are out there in a snake infested cactus underbrush. That explosion and slowly rising dust cloud is the RED HORSE demolition crew, blasting rock to feed the hungry maw of our rock crusher that works 24 hours a day turning out crushed aggrtegate for the nightly mixing and pouring of concrete pads for the new 1,000 man base cantonment area. The men of this squadron came from the four points of the compass and on short notice were separated from their families; formed together with a brand new mission in Air Force Civil Engineering history and flown to Vietnam en masse. Even back at Cannon AFB the "know-how" from years of experience revealed itself on our various work projects and bivouac. These men spoke the same language of work, and recognition of each others special capabilities turned into friendships, banding us together into a team long before we came to Vietnam. Perhaps more than anything was the unanimous acceptance of the challenge tha RED HORSE posed. For the first time in their military careers they were given the opportunity to do a job alone, and that one fact alone created a sense of responsibility and pride in every man. There is no "RAT TIEC" in RED HORSE!
"PHAN RANG - To hard-pressed Air Force pilots flying a continuous stream of combat missions out of Phan Rang Air Base, the 10,000 foot temporary aluminum mat runway is the first, last and most important link in their mission chain.
Always hanging over their head is the hard fact that should something happen to the runway, forcing it to close for repairs, Phan Rang's jamp-packed ramp of supersonic aircraft will suddenly be unable to strike Viet Cong targets.
Tis problem became an actuality recently. Torential monsoon rains formed pockets under the AM-2 matting. Aircraft taxiing over the pockets created a hydraulic action forcing the water to wash soil from under the runway and leaving deep depressions.
To counteract a closure of the runway, USAF's 554th Commander, says "Not only does night work avoid intgerruption of essential combat operations, but more can be accomplished then. Men work better during a planned, concentrated work program at night when temperatures are around 70 degrees and normal daytime activities are not a distraction."
Before night activities begin, men, machines and materials mass near the runway with Colonel George S. Weart, 366th Tactical Fighter Wing Commander, watching the sky for the las sortie to return.
Colonel Weart, 46 year-old native of Chicago, commenting on "Quick Fix" accomplishments says, "As yet, no ordered missions have been cancelled and credit must be given to the 554th for its work. Without their effective effort, the 366th would not have flown many days."
Since May 13, under the glare of powerful ights, almost 3,000 manhours have been spent taking up 21,422 inter-locking AM-2 panels. Each panel is two feet wide, 12 feet long and weights almost 200 pounds.
Not fully satified with the Quick Fix operation, Colonel Conti and his personnel have been working on several important improvements. One uses forklifts on each side of the runway to lift panels while depressed areas are filled with rock.
One of two squadrons formed to give the Air Force a heavy repair capability, the 554th can be compared to World War II Navy Seabees that built countless bases throughout the Pacific Theater."
WASHINGTON -- While the Army has been moving more and more into the flying business, the Air Force has quietly taken on a mission traditionally considered that of the "ground pounders." In less than six months, the Air Force has assembled, trained, equipped and dispatched to Vietnam a force of 800 engineering specialists. Another 1,600 are being trained in the ConUS.
The two civil engineer squadrons (heavy repair) already moved to Southeast Asia bear a striking resemblance to Army Corps of Engineer units and Navy Seabees (construction batalions). They are similar enough, in fact, that the Air Force has been shy about publicizing their activities for fear it will be charged with competing with the other services.
This month, however, AF's "Civil Engineering" magazine gives the story of Project Red Horse, the program under which the units were formed.
The units were formed, according tro the article, to fill a gap between the "light housekeeping" chores of AF base civil engineers (minor repair, building and grounds, sanitation, etc.) and major airfield construction which is the realm of the Army engineers.
Needed, AF decided, were AF units mobile enough to move into a new airfield or an old one hit by heavy bomb damage and put it in shape for use. It would still be Army's job to scrape out a major airstrip. But, AF should be able to put up austere housing, water and sanitary facilities and utilities and plug the runway bomb craters until the Army arrives.
AF's first approach to the problem was Operation Prime BEEF. Under it, small teams of a dozen or so specialists were flown into trouble spots to handle special projects. BEEF teams have been pulling short TDY tours in Vietnam since last summer. The first ones put up steel aircraft revetments to protect planes from mortar fire. Others set up water and waste systems at Tan Son Nhut, "hootches" (temporary dormintories) for newly arriving troops, and put in fuel storage systems.
The fast-moving BEEF teams traveled light and relied heavily on local labor. The program has proved a partial answer to the small war engineering problem and AF will continue to TDY the teams. But, last year, AF decided it needed bigger groups which could operate heavier equipment and stay longer.
THE RESULT was approval, last fall, of Red Horse (Rapid Engineer Deployment, Heavy Operational Repair Squadrons). The timetable AF set for organizing the units and moving them to SEA was impossible, but it was met.
In late September the first two squadrons were formed --- the 555th Civil Engineering Squadron (dubbed "Triple Nickel") and the 554th ("Penny Short"). LtCol M.K. Plunkett commands the 555th and Col James F. Conti the 554th. By November 15, the advance cadre was in place at Cannon AFB, N.M. By December1, 80 percent of the manpower was in place and training began. By December 15, the units were at full strength. By February 1, training was completed and the units were deployed to SEA.
The idea of a complete functioning unit of civil engineers sparked high enthusiasm. One group of specialists chartered their own plane to get to Cannon in a hurry. One NCO back from TDY in Vietnam just 30 days volunteered for the program and quick return.
The two Red Horse squadrons nearly doubled the civil engieering force in Vietnam. Others will swell the numbers in coming months.
